How to capture Windows registry

Introduction

Windows registry is stored in several files located in \Windows\System32\Config folder. The most important file is SYSTEM hive - its entries are boot-critical.

Usually Windows registry is required when there are issues with deployment/restore process. E.g., when a system restored with Acronis Universal Restore does not function properly.

Solution

Windows registry has to be captured both from source and from target systems.

Please do the following to take Windows registry from the target system (that is, the system to which the image was restored):

1. Create Acronis Bootable Media for the corresponding product.
2. Boot the computer from the created Acronis Bootable Media 
3. Create files/folders backup of the \Windows\System32\Config\SYSTEM file
4. Send the created *.tib file to Acronis Customer Central

Please do the following to take Windows registry from the source system (there are two ways to do this):

• You can perform the same exact steps described above for capturing registry from target system and send us the *.tib file
• Or since the source system registry is already backed up as a part of a full hard disk drive or partition backup, you can simply restore \Windows\System32\Config\SYSTEM file from the image and send us the restored files/folders.

So, we need two Windows registry exports: from source system and from target system.

More information

Note that it is really important to clearly understand when exactly Windows registry should be taken. For example, if you take registry from the actual image and then restore it using Acronis Universal Restore, then the second slice of Windows registry will significantly differ from the source one.